CISSM News

A new in-depth survey on U.S. nuclear weapons policy finds that 68% of voters (including 59% of Republicans and 74% of Democrats), support Congressional legislation prohibiting the President from using nuclear weapons first without Congressional approval and a declaration of war. An overwhelming 8 in 10, of Republicans as well as Democrats do not support a policy shift in the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review that explicitly declares the U.S.

The School of Public Policy celebrated the legacy of College Park Professor Catherine Kelleher, a founding faculty member of the School, at a celebration at the National Academy of Sciences on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

How do labor market trends in the Middle East affect human well-being, and ultimately the likelihood that individuals engage in political protest? School of Public Policy faculty member Prof. Carol Graham and doctoral candidate Sergio Pinto will explore this question and others as part of a research project that was awarded $5,000 of funding from the 2019 CISSM Seed Grant competition.

Celebrations of the 70th anniversary of NATO on April 4 may be clouded by concerns about statements by Donald Trump questioning the US commitment to NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. However, a new survey finds that 83% of American voters favor the US continuing to be part of NATO, including 90% of Democrats, but also 77% of Republicans and 76% of those who voted for Trump.

President Trump’s recent announcement about forming a U.S. Space Force has brought space policy issues to the international security forefront. CISSM reached out to Dr. Borowitz to learn about her work on space policy and to ask what other issues—besides Space Force—she thinks ought to be getting more attention in policy and public discussions.

The University of Maryland School of Public Policy is launching a new graduate fellowship to support students studying international security policy. The fellowship is named in honor of College Park Professor Catherine Kelleher, who was a founding faculty member of the school and has a long track-record of working to advance the careers of women scholars and practitioners.

As the Trump administration has formally initiated the process of withdrawing from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, saying that Russia has persistently violated the Treaty, a just-completed survey of American voters finds that two thirds oppose taking this step, opting instead for staying within the Treaty and redoubling efforts to work with the Russians to resolve their disputes about compliance. Those opposed to withdrawing from the Treaty include 55% of Republicans and 51% of Trump voters, as well as 77% of Democrats.

On a trip to Moscow, Russia, in November 2018, School of Public Policy master’s student Tucker Boyce (pictured, far right, with U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman) found himself sitting face to face with members of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Meeting those officials gave me a different perspective on the latest arms control developments, including President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the INF Treaty,” says Boyce.

​CISSM hosted a delegation from the European Space Agency (ESA), including Johann-Dietrich “Jan” Wörner, the Director General of ESA, for a discussion about international cooperation on a range of space issues, including exploration, data collection and analysis, and debris mitigation on December 7, 2018.

CISSM Senior Research Associate and SPP Associate Research Professor Charles Harry was among several guests on this week's "Future City" program on Baltimore's WYPR radio station. The segment focused on the "Future of Security" in both Baltimore and nationally. Harry discussed how public citizens should view the security of their interactions online and the threats posed by an increasing volume and diversity of cyber attacks.

Maria Snegovaya will join CISSM as a Research Associate this summer to do work related to Russian security policy and the European political dynamics. She’ll also take a lead role managing CISSM’s U.S.-Russian Security Relations project.

In her recently defended dissertation, CISSM research associate Naoko Aoki concludes that the United States did not always follow through on its commitments because of domestic political constraints. Aoki’s work received the 2018 Yamamoto-Scheffelin Endowment Prize for Dissertation Research.

​Nuclear policy scholar Dr. Sara Z. Kutchesfahani joined CISSM as a Research Associate this spring. In addition to her research on a range of nuclear policy topics, including fissile material security, nuclear governance, nonproliferation, and arms control, Kutchesfahani will also be teaching at the School of Public Policy as an adjunct professor.

Citing her commitment to students, faculty development, and policy-relevant research, School of Public Policy Dean Robert Orr awarded CISSM Director Nancy Gallagher the inaugural Dean’s Award at the school’s celebration of service on April 26, 2018.

The Center for International and Security Studies and Maryland (CISSM)—together with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a gala event on April 14, 2018 at the Riggs Alumni Center.

In the wake of widespread protests in Iran, very large majorities of Iranians are critical of their government for economic mismanagement and corruption, yet equally large majorities reject the idea that Iran’s political system needs to undergo fundamental change, according to a new survey by the University of Maryland.

Support CISSM research, outreach, and education by contributing to the CISSM Target of Opportunity Fund, the John D. Steinbruner Student Support Fund, and the Catherine Kelleher Fellowship for International Security Studies.Give to CISSM

Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland
University of Maryland School of Public Policy
4113 Van Munching Hall College Park, MD 20742
Phone: 301-405-7601 • Fax: 301-403-8107